The Deepest Circle of Hell
by Heavily Armed Gothic Bunny
Summary: Lupin has done the unthinkable to Hermione, and is thrown into Azkaban without trial. But something is seriously off about the situation, Harry and Hermione both know this. Why's snape been so solemn lately? And what does Dumbledore have to do with this?
1. Strange New Feelings

Takes place during sixth year. I tried to keep the characters as in-character as possible, which was kind of hard, considering this couple is as likely to happen as Pluto crashing into the sun!

**The Deepest Circle of Hell**

Chapter One

Remus Lupin awoke with a start. He hadn't had a nightmare like that since the night Lily and James died! He leaned against the stone wall of the- wait a minute, stone walls?! His office at Hogwarts did _not_ have stone walls! So where was he?

The werewolf looked around for a moment, taking in his surroundings. There were shackles on the walls and there was a tattered, gray blanket beside him, and a barred door on the east side of the room. This strange, new place had a terrifying atmosphere about it that left him chilled to the bone.

"Dementors," he whispered hoarsely. There was only one place in the world that had dementors, and that was Azkaban prison.

_Why am I here?_ His mind cried in despair. The only other emotion he could feel was confusion at the moment, so despair was to be predicted.

Suddenly, the barred door shook. Remus snapped his head up just as the door opened and Fudge walked into the room. "Lupin," He said curtly.

"Why am I here?" Remus asked, confused and scared. He didn't have any idea as to how he had gotten placed into prison in the first place, let alone, if he even committed a crime.

Fudge's head snapped up so quickly, his lime-green bowler hat almost fell off. "I assume you remember the incident involving Ms. Hermione Granger?" He asked with a dark look in his eye.

"What-" Remus started to ask, but cut off as memories replayed themselves inside his mind. "Oh, God…"

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Remus watched from the teacher's table as the second through seventh years entered the great hall; Hermione Granger among the mob of students. He scanned the crowd for the girl's two best friends, finding it highly unusual that they were not walking into the room beside each other.

He finally spotted the two of them walking together; both boys had an arm slung over their girlfriends. He remembered watching James and Lily enviously as they spoke to each other in a way that only lovers could. He remembered wanting that so badly, but he would never be able to have it, due to his lycanthropy.

The doors opened, breaking Remus out of his thoughts, and the first years entered. He would never forget the day he walked through those doors for the first time-

"God, I'm getting old," he muttered to himself, slightly depressed at recollecting his memories like he was ninety years-old!

The sorting started and he watched with rapt attention. There were three new Ravenclaws, four Hufflepuffs, four Slytherins, and five new Gryffindors.

Dumbledore then stood for the beginning of the year announcements, "Welcome! I have a few new announcements. First, as all returning students should know, that the forbidden forest is strictly off limits. Second, I am happy to announce the return of Professor R. J. Lupin!" A large applause was heard at this and Remus couldn't help but color a little at the attention. He didn't know that the students liked him _that_ much! Even a few Slytherins applauded!

"And finally," Dumbledore began, cutting the applause off. "I'd like to wish you all a good feast, so tuck in!"

…. And they did….

Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table, contemplating her love life. _Why did it have to mean so much to everyone?_ She eyed Ron and Harry with jealousy. Why couldn't anyone here treat her like that?

"Hem-hem," said a false, girlish voice from behind Hermione. The girl turned around to find her best female friend, Ginny Weasly, standing there innocently, "Oh, do I hear Professor Umbrige over there?"

Hermione smiled at her friends antics and patted the bench beside her. Ginny gladly accepted the invitation to sit and began to pile food on the plate in front of her. "So, how are the boys doing?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Alright, I guess," Ginny said, thoughtfully. "They miss you, though; their girlfriends won't let them do anything without them!"

"Well, that's not right," Hermione voiced, annoyed. "I can't believe they'd ditch me to be with them anyway!"

"Mione, you make it sound like you guys were a couple," Ginny stated, dryly. The red-head noticed her friend glance longingly at Ron and understanding dawned on her. "You still like him, then?"

Hermione sighed, "Yeah, he'll never like me like that, though."

To Hermione's surprise, Ginny burst into a fit of giggles. "What's so funny?" She cried out, confused. Ginny just continued to laugh.

"He already does like you Hermione; he's just not ready to admit it!" Ginny said. A small smile crept onto Hermione's features that soon turned into a huge grin.

"Thanks Gin, I needed that," she stated, slightly more cheerful.

"I'm glad I could be of assistance!" the red-head laughed merrily. "Here, try some of the pie…"

Ginny cringed at the lie she had just told her friend, but the girl just didn't have the heart to tell Hermione that her brother had moved on….

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The welcoming feast had finished and the prefects of each house soon led their house mates up to their common rooms. This meant that Ron was forced from his girlfriend's side and over to Hermione's, both of them being prefects and all.

"Hi," Hermione said, looking up at her friend.

"Hi," Ron responded stiffly.

There was a painfully awkward silence between the two as they led the Gryffindors to their common room. "So…." Hermione began in an attempt to crush the tension, but couldn't find the words to continue.

Ron continued to stare at the floor as though daring Hermione to speak first. She huffed angrily and refused to look at him. "Alright first years," she said a little tensely. "This is the common room entrance. Just say the password to the portrait and it will lead you straight to the common room. The password for now is _porta_."

As Hermione said the word, the portrait swung open to reveal a large red and gold room with large, comfortable furniture. Hermione then directed the boys through one door and the girls through the other as Ron slumped lazily into a huge, red chair.

Before Hermione even got a chance to speak to him, Harry and his girlfriend, Parvati, paraded into the room in each other's arms, making-out heatedly.

"Where's Lavender?" Ron asked immediately. Hermione suddenly felt slightly out of place at the thought of Ron and his girlfriend joining in on the snog-fest.

"She's talking to Padma about a skirt she borrowed from Parry-Poo," Harry replied, using the pet name his girlfriend so despised.

"Harry!" Parvati cried out in protest, smacking him playfully on the arm. Ron shot up from his chair and zoomed out of the common room before you could say your first name.

Hermione inwardly groaned at the thought of being alone again. She was about to walk out of the common room when Ginny's voice kept her from getting up.

"Hey Hermione, why don't you get a guy?" She asked in a curious tone. Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes as Dean came down from the boy's dorm room and put his arm protectively around Ginny's waist. Harry broke his make-out session with Parvati long enough to glare daggers into Deans back before continuing to eat his girlfriend's face off.

"I don't have time for a relationship," Hermione stated firmly. _And the only guy I like has a girlfriend,_ she added silently to herself.

"Oh c'mon Hermione, you must be _a little_ jealous of all those couples in Madame Puddifoot's snogging each other like the world's at its end! Or maybe the romantic-"

"I said that I'm too busy for a relationship!" Hermione nearly shrieked. There was no way that she was going to get a boyfriend for those stupid reasons! She stood up abruptly and stalked into her room without saying goodnight and fell into a fitful sleep.

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Remus walked tiredly into the great hall tiredly, having just woken up. He scanned the great hall to see only a few of the students were up, including Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and a few others that he didn't know personally.

He yawned tiredly and decided that he would have a small breakfast, since he wasn't feeling all too shiny today anyway. Remus grabbed an apple and ate quickly. Just as he had finished, Hermione stood and bolted out of the room, leaving behind a very confused looking Dean and Ginny.

"Excuse me," he said to the other staff members as he, too, rose from his seat and walked out the doors, unnoticed by everyone else.

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The next morning, Hermione sat quietly beside Ginny, eating a breakfast of pancakes and a muffin. The conversation from last night left her slightly depressed, and there was absolutely no way she was about to talk to Ginny about it, since she was busy snogging Dean anyway.

Hermione, tired of the kissing couple beside her, stood without finishing her breakfast and stalked out of the great hall.

She roamed for a little bit before the sound of running footsteps reached her ears. She turned around to see Harry running up to her, holding two pieces of paper in his hand.

"Hermione!" He cried out. "Wait up!"

The girl gave him a dry look, "I am."

Harry rolled his eyes and held out a piece of paper, "They passed out schedules right after you left," he explained. "We have all the same classes except for Divination."

Hermione smiled, "Thanks Harry," she said softly. "What do we have first?"

"Double potions," Harry said moodily, "With the _Slytherins_!"

"What else is new," Hermione wondered aloud. Harry chuckled a little before continuing.

"The good news is, we have Defense Against the Dark Arts right after to make up for it," He said, grinning.

"That's good," The girl stated. "I'm glad Lupin's back."

"And so am I," A deep voice said from behind Hermione. The girl whirled around to see a shabby Professor Lupin standing there, a large grin on his face.

"P-Professor Lupin," Hermione stuttered, for some reason, nervously. "I didn't see you standing there."

"Well," Lupin said, raising an eyebrow. "That _would_ be hard to do, considering I was behind you."

Hermione blushed, feeling idiotic, and shrugged her shoulders sheepishly. Remus chuckled and Harry laughed.

"It's good to see you again, Lupin," Harry said, sincerely.

Lupin nodded his head sadly, "It's been a little hard," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "To visit Grimmauld Place since Sirius- since it happened."

Harry nodded his head sadly and Hermione looked to the floor, suddenly feeling out of place. _They're still mourning,_ she realized as a grim silence fell over the trio.

"Well, we shouldn't be dwelling on that," Lupin said, clapping his hands together, breaking the silence with a falsely cheerful smile. "How was your summer you two?"

"Dursley-ish," Harry said with a dry look on his features, causing Hermione and Lupin to laugh merrily.

"And you, Hermione?" Lupin asked, turning to face the sixteen year-old.

Hermione smiled, "Oh, I read the most fascinating story just before the summer ended," she began enthusiastically. "It's called Pride and Prejudice. Even though I've read it approximately six times before, I still love it!"

This caused Harry to stifle violent shakes of laughter and Lupin to smile, "I've read that book before."

"You have?" Hermione asked surprised.

"Once or twice," Lupin answered simply. "Don't forget, my mother was a muggle."

Hermione nodded and smiled warmly, feeling a bubble of nervousness rise in her chest. "And did you like it?" She asked raising her eyebrows.

Lupin leaned forward slightly, "I loved it."

Hermione felt her heart give a nervous flutter as she caught his eye. _What is wrong with me?_ She demanded. _I've _never_ felt like this around a professor, especially Professor Lupin!_

Lupin gave a curt nod and brought himself up to his full height, "Good-day Harry, Hermione," he whispered as he walked away.

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Harry had no idea of what just happened between his best friend and favorite professor, but the static was obvious. He didn't know what to think of the scene, but assured himself that it wouldn't happen again. He smiled and waved to Hermione, telling her that he had something to do in the common room and left as naturally as possible, considering the thoughts running through his mind.

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Remus had _no_ idea why he had just done that. It seemed scarily natural! _I can't flirt with my students, it's pedophilic!_ He thought to himself angrily. He suddenly wondered how Sirius was looking at him right then. Feeling slightly scared, he walked into the nearest bathroom and splashed some water on his face.

"Don't _ever_ do that again, Remus!" He said to his reflection in the mirror. Once he had calmed down he walked out of the bathroom and down to his office to get ready for his first class with the second years.

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Well, I personally think this was a good start to the creepiest fic I've ever written. R&R people! I won't be updating too soon, since I'm writing a better HP fic, so your reviews are my fuel to do more, faster!

Heavily Armed Goth Bunny


	2. Snape's Darkest Hour

AU. I got a lot more reviews than usual, so I'll keep to my word and update again, but it's kinda short. People who asked me what happened, which was almost everyone, you'll find out soon enough…

**The Deepest Circle of Hell**

Chapter Two

(Right after the students get to school)

Severus Snape stood completely still, fearing that any sign of movement would reveal his mortification to the Dark Lord. "Pardon me, my Lord, but wouldn't that give away my position to Dumbledore and the Ministry as a traitor?"

Voldemort looked entirely too pleased with his sick plan, "That's the beauty of this plan, Severus, you shall reveal yourself as a traitor while ridding the place of the werewolf and that wretched mudblood," here, he grinned maniacally, "And if we should be lucky, ridding the world of the mudblood loving fool, Dumbledore."

Snape was now beyond horrified at what Voldemort was asking, - no, ordering- him to do. He would never be able to redeem himself if he was told to carry out these orders by Dumbledore, in his eyes, nor anyone else's.

"Sir, is there a way to carry out the plan more straight-forward, if I may?" Snape asked, barely concealing the growing despair. Death would be a better fate than that any day!

"Now Severus," Voldemort said in a false disappointed voice. "You don't want your kin to enjoy the mudblood's pain? It would fair for quite a show," he said, grinning widely, showing off terrifying fangs.

"Of course, my Lord, I could do with a dose of watching the mudblood's pain as well, but wouldn't just killing them-"

"Surely, it would make it seem even more suspicious?" Voldemort interrupted. "After all, two people don't just die in the middle of the night, and surely not at Hogwarts, of all places?"

"Of course, my Lord," Snape said without emotion. The man only hoped that Dumbledore would have a way out of this…

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"Headmaster!" Snape cried desperately bursting into the room. "I have just received another mission from the Dark Lord!" He said before Dumbledore could speak.

The headmaster's interest was peaked, "What mission did you receive?" He asked, looking into his eyes. Snape couldn't bear to repeat the mission, and Dumbledore understood with one look into his memories.

"I see," he said, his face grim. "You must continue with his orders, Severus."

The potion professor's eyes widened, "Albus…. You cannot be serious! Death would be a better fate than what I would be forcing!"

"I understand, Severus," Dumbledore stated. "But you must play your role as a death-eater accordingly. This will prove ultimate loyalty in Voldemort's eyes," Snape winced at the name, but Dumbledore continued, "The death of a muggle-born is the most satisfying thing to him."

"Albus, this cannot be done, you mustn't let it!" Snape cried, pleadingly.

"Severus, you play an extremely important role in the fate of the world, and you must make sure that Harry can kill Voldemort. Lives will be lost, Severus, but you must make sure that Harry can live long enough to defeat him!"

Silence followed Dumbledore's statement. For five long minutes, Snape sat in thought before finally speaking again, "Very well."

He then stood up and stalked out of the room. Only when he was safe in the privacy of his own room did he let a tear of regret slide down his pale cheek. He would never forgive Voldemort for giving him this mission; he would never forgive Albus for making him carry it out; but most importantly, he would never forgive himself for doing the deed.

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Hermione walked to potions class, alone. This didn't surprise her seeing as Parvati also got into advanced potions. She watched sadly as Harry walked along-side Parvati, sending Hermione an apologetic glance every so often. After what seemed like forever, the girl finally arrived at potions.

She sat down in her usual seat, placed her things on her desk and waited for Snape to arrive. The wait wasn't long, however, since Snape came in five minutes later. He seemed tired, as though he had been up for nights.

"You will be creating Amortentia, the lust potion. I don't want any complaints," Snape drawled. "You may begin," he said, tapping the board with his black want, making words appear.

"Speaking of Lust, Granger," said a cold, drawling voice from behind Hermione. The girl whipped around to see Draco Malfoy leaning up over his desk. "I'd watch out for someone if I were you."

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, annoyed. The boy just smirked evilly at her and sat back in his seat to prepare the potion. Hermione felt a little nervous, as she still remembered the incident with Sirius in third year.

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Potions ended quickly and lunch was a bore. Hermione barely ate anything, as Harry noted, worriedly. There was something wrong with her and he kept getting a nagging suspicion that it was because of him. Unable to bare the wait to D.A.D.A. any longer, Harry stood from his place at the table and stalked out of the Great Hall, unnoticed by anyone.

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Hermione felt nervous, and she was sick of feeling that way every time she thought of her next class. All too soon, the bell rang and she was off to _that_ class. Ron was no where to be found, and Parvati was standing alone in the hallway, seemingly lost.

"Have you seen my Harry-kins?" she asked, looking scared.

"No," Hermione said plainly and stalked away, leaving behind the confused Parvati.

Hermione was sure she had arrived before anyone else and after taking a deep, calming breath, stalked into the classroom.

To her surprise, she found Harry standing in front of the desk occupied by Lupin. They seemed lost in their own thoughts as though someone had just said something they had wanted to say for a while. Hermione suspected that it was about Sirius and made to shut the door when Lupin's voice stopped her.

"Wait a moment, Hermione," he called out just as she began to close the oak door. She stopped mid-movement and stepped into the classroom.

"Yes, Professor?" she asked timidly. Lupin sighed and Harry scratched his neck nervously. Hermione noted that all of his attention was focused on the two of them.

"Class hasn't even begun yet and you're thinking of leaving?" He asked playfully. Hermione laughed and Harry smiled. "I was just coming to class, but it seemed like I walked in on something, so I tried to leave," she explained lamely.

Harry gave a dry laugh, "Why are you always right?"

Hermione shrugged and smiled, "It's not always a good thing, mind you."

Lupin gave her a pointed look and she rolled her eyes, "But… I enjoy being right."

They sat in a comfortable silence, staring at each other. Harry suddenly felt like he was intruding on something and cleared his throat loudly. Hermione and Lupin snapped out of their sudden revere and looked to Harry, who pointed at the door, which was now opening. The Gryffindor sixth years poured in and took seats, eagerly pulling out their wands.

"It looks like class is about to begin," Lupin whispered to the two of them. "Better take your seats you two.

Hermione sat and listened with rapt attention as Lupin taught them their newest defensive spell.

"Alright now," Lupin called out to the chattering students, who silenced immediately. "I want everyone to get into partners."

Hermione looked around and found Neville, who was also left without a partner, seeing as Harry had partnered with Ron.

"Now, I want everyone to repeat after me," Lupin said. "_Conicio_!"

"_Conicio_!" the students all cried out together.

"Good, good. This spell is designed to throw an attacker off of you," Lupin stated. "This spell works well on offensive creatures and people alike.

"When I say go, I want you to try to throw your partner with the spell…. GO!"

"_Conicio_!" Hermione shouted immediately. It looked like a blast had thrown Neville across the room.

"Very good, Hermione," The professor praised, though Hermione was barely paying attention. The girl couldn't help but feel as though the spell would come in handy in the future.

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Well, that was such a great teaser! I hope I caught people's attention with it. Please R&R!


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